Semana Santa

Slowly moving from side to side, their sombre sway moves the massive, ornate float down the road.
Semana Santa has been an incredible experience. The colour, atmosphere, the number of people have all been something so different for anything that I have been a part of here in Antigua. Semana Santa here in Antigua is said to be the second largest Easter week celebration in the world, next only to the Vatican City. Thousands of people, Central Americans and tourists alike all decend on the city for the week long celebration consisting of many different processions though the cobble stone streets of the colonial city. The city has been famous for this for many years and this one was not going to be any different in that regard. The idea behind the processions is that the people pay handsomely (500Q or about $65) for a chance to carry one of the floats for one city block, in the hopes of cutting some time off their stay in Purgatory.
The floats they carry are incredible, both in size and beauty. Many of them require over a hundred people to slowly carry the solid oak float through the streets. Once they have finished their turn the next group stands in beside them and they systematically change out and continue on down the road.
The processions started on the previous Sunday and continue all through out the week, until they come to the climax on Friday. It is incredible to see how many people have fit into this relativly small city as people dressed in purple tunics occupy the streets. Friday, which is arguably the biggest day of the week, start the celebration on Thrusday night. At this point hundreds of people take to the streets to create these ¨alfombras¨ or carpets of sawdust, pine needles, produce, flowers, or a combination of them all. The ones of sawdust are arguably the most beautiful and the most intricate. The streets are packed all night with people walking around and taking in the celebration. The carpets are to signify how people placed palms before Christ as he entered the city and do the same for the representations carried on the floats. People will start them in the early evening and work through the night for the procession that starts a 5 the following morning, on carpets 10m or more in length. Working 8 to 10 hours, making some of the most beautiful and detailed pieces I have ever seen, you can see that it is an incredible source of pride for the artists as thousands of people file past their work and take pictures all enamoured by the work . The incredible thing is that folling the hours of work, they are all trambled and distroyed in a matter of minutes as the procession makes its way over them. After the procession passes there is nothing left that resembles the previous beauty, rather all that remains is a pile of colourful dust that is then hurridly swept up and taken of to the trash by the cleanup crews that follow.
There is a weird feels to it all though. Quite dark feeling and at times it lacks the spirituality that one may assume surronding an event like this. Many people seem to be doing this as their one good deed for the year, and hope to keep themselves in the good books. They chat on cell phones, and listen to music during this time that is to signify the great suffering and life of Christ.
Each of the different floats signify something different, with one carried by men and then followed by another carried by the women. There is even one for the children to carry as not to be left out of the event. They make their way on a marked path through the city streets and then eventually make their way back to whatever chruch they began at.
Also during this week I did a bit more Spanish school in order to get myself a place to stay and finish off the course that I had started before. I lived with the family that I did back in January and it was nice to see them and catch up on what has happened in between. This week I have had some pretty good people to live with, a girl from the States, a guy from England and then a fellow Canadian from Quebec. It has been good to get to know them over the week and take in the processions and celebrations that have happened.
It is strange though that during the week there are so many procession and a really festive attitude about the place, and then on Sunday there is nothing much to be said. It is different because many places around the work this is the day of greatest celebration and here it is almost a non-event.
The week here has been incredible to see all that goes on and the magnitude of the celebration and ceremony that the people take part in. Im sorry if there are some things that are a bit unclear, but there was so much to take in and getting that altogether to post here is a bit of a chore. However, if you have any questions about the celebration or about anything surrounding my trip please let me know.
As well as a side note...I have now changed my ticket and will be returning home on the 6th of May instead of the 13th of April. I felt as though I needed more time for me to complete what I wanted to here and not be rushed in the process. I suppose to you could also say that I have been bit by the travel bug and don´t want it to end. Take your pick.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed it.

Bye for now

Mike

The End of Guatemala

So this time tomorrow I will be on a bus headed for San Salvador, el Salvador, and then on to Nicaragua. My how the time has flown by. It was been so much fun here. Last week was pretty good. I went into Chimaltenango to visit the Discover students which was really nice to reconnect with them and see then at the start of the trip. Also was able to see some of the Guatemalan students from last year which was pretty cool to reconnect with them. While I was there i also had the chance to have lunch with the president of GBS, which was really nice to chat with him again and see how things have been going with him.
After that i went down to visit my host family from my weekends in Chimal. It was so nice to see them again and chat with them too. It neat to see how the kids have grown up. Just before we left the mom was about to have a baby but we weren't able to see it cause we left. So this time round I had the chance to see the new little baby April. All in all it was a great time in Chimal.
A quick point before I move on, if anyone has seen or heard from Ben that would be nice if you could let Kale and I know...we haven't seen him in 3 days. He left all his clothes and stuff and just took his passport and credit cards. Not sure whats going on, he has met a few shady people, but anyways I shall continue
The day after that we had a pretty decent earthquake. The 5.3 was located just of the coast and closer to the Salvadorian boarder, but we still definitely felt it. As far as I know there was no damage but it was probably the biggest one that i have felt since being down here.
Today also concludes our home stay here, as well as the Spanish classes. Its been really great learning more and more each day and getting to know the family and share some sweet experiences and laughter with them. I feel like I am a little more confident, and a little more capable to communicate.
It has been sweet to live with some of the people I did Discover with last year, and to have the Spanish over lap with them for the week. It was pretty cool to see them again and chat.
One other point, that I forgot to mention in my last blog was Kale and Ben had their first "chicken bus" experience. These are old American school buses painted really brightly, and they rip around the streets at break neck speeds, with the drivers maneuvering like they have got a 2004 Chevy Aveo (which is for sale by the way, talk to me if your interested) Hitting all the bumps they can and making you pray the moment you step on. I think that Ben put it the best way, Its like a roller coaster...but i think that this one is more a thrill cause death is much more plausible.
So as I said before tomorrow we will head off to Granada in Nicaragua for the next step of the trip. There we hope to continue the chilling and possibly hook up with a group from Canada that is down there on building project.
Sorry that this update wasn't all the most exciting but that's going to happen every now and then.

Bye for now

Mike

A Guatemalan Experience Continues

This has been a great week in Antigua, but really I couldn't expect anything less from this place. I moved into another house this week with Ben and Kale because they had an opening there, and their meal times are a lot better cause of some sweet South Africans and also because there is a lot for forced Spanish conversation. I'm really glad that i made that move because i got to meet and get to know some of the coolest people around. These are three guys from S.A. who left stressful careers to travel the world and experience life to the fullest. One guy is a mechanical engineer for Boeing, another is a geologist in northern Ontario, and the third guy has a masters in micro biology, some very bright guys to say the least. they have been traveling by car all through Canada, and the States and are making their ways to Panama and ultimately Peru, rock climbing and kite boarding along the way. They taught me a lot and were really inspiring people, but it was great to get to know them while they were here.
A great experience from this week has been all the live music that we have been able to see. First we were able to see the Buena Vista Social Club at a small restaurant in town. They are a really famous jazz/salsa club from Cuba, and so one of the members came to Antigua and he was great! they also brought in a drum line style group that was also incredible to hear. That was a great night to relax and hear some of the best and liveliest music around.
Another night we saw a group that played Peruvian music. It was a little more chilled out than the salsa but it was still a great time and a fun experience.
This week has also been good for my Spanish. I'm starting to have things click, and I have some daily epiphanies when it comes to Spanish. It has been great not only because it is enabling me to speak a little better and understand a little more, but also because I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about the culture. One day I was talking with my Spanish teacher about the wars that have gone one in the region and it because a very emotional conversation that lasted about 45 minutes. I got some good insight into the history of the area and the scar that it has left on the people here. I'm pretty sure that she wants me to get married cause Ive been given a lot of marital advice, which has been entertaining though i have explained multiple times to her that I don't have a lady friend. But also just in general learning about the culture and various aspects of what is going on here has been rather insightful
We also had the chance to drop off the Gleaners soup (and yes Shelly I got some pics). Its was great to go back to the place and my how it has changed. It was good to see that the orphanage is coming along and that they are getting their feet under them. I'm glad I was able to provide a little bit of help courtesy of the gleaners to the kids there. It was a good day to relax and chill with the kids and see the end part of the gleaners soup process.
Finally, we finished off this week with a trip to Volcan de Pacaya, which is one of 3 active volcanoes in Guatemala. When we started out assent it was quite cloudy and I thought that we would be disappointed and not be able to see the great views. Thankfully the clouds cleared and gave us a great vista of what was around and we some some lava roll down the hill. It was beautiful, and this year I was able to go a lot higher than we did last year, pretty close to the cone. That was such a good experience that was a lot of fun and a great way to end the week.
Today I am going to Chimal to see the Discover student who arrived yesterday. This week is going to consist of some more Spanish and finalizing our next step of the trip to Nicaragua.
Hope you have enjoyed and sorry for the long update.
Bye for now

Mike (who is quite warm in Guatemala!)

Beginning of Something Great

Hey all

Man o man, life is good. I am loving it down here for the second time around. It has been great to see the place again and wander around in the beauty of the colonial city. It has been great to have Ben and Kale down here and so see them enjoy the place as much as I did and it helps me to value this experience this so much more.
We made it hear safely after a day of travel, and then were picked up at the airport by our Spanish teacher. It was so sweet to talk to him and get the chance to translate for Ben and Kale...it was surprising how much that I could remember, and exciting to be able to help others out.
The classes have been good. I'm learning and relearning a lot. I think that for Ben and Kale then are having a good time with the Spanish, though finding it a bit of a challenge, which most people do at the beginning.
It has been great living with our Spanish families. Ben and kale live with the school director and I'm next door with a different family. It has been great to speak and learn about the families and some more of the culture while we are down here.
Its a lot different experience than Discover because all the trip is dependent on our planning, but I think that make it a lot of fun.
Ben and Kale had their first time at the market and bought some ponchos. It was pretty interesting to watch them go through that for the first time with the haggling and the ridiculous prices that people start with and where you can get them down too....for example they started at Q225 and ended at Q50...a bit of a difference
It has been so great to meet people from all over the world with the same mind set and goals as you. So far we have met people from England, South Africa, China, Japan, the States, Korea, just to name a few...
There are some great people here.
I want travel to be an integral part of my life and I am enjoying what I am doing so much, this place is great, the people are great, this experience is great.
Well that is all for now, I hope that you enjoyed it

Talk to you later and I hope to hear from some of you.

Bye for now.

Mike